134 Chapter 3 In each body it is both whole in the whole, and whole in each several part of it; and, therefore, when anything takes place in any small particle whatever of the body, such as the soul can feel, although it does not take place in the whole body, yet the whole soul feels is, since the whole soul is not unconscious of it. (On the Trinity, Book 6.6) When studying On the Trinity, especially Books 9 to 12, it is remarkable how carefully Augustine analysed man without losing sight of his totality. He always ended in synthesis. Augustine’s clear distinction between the homo exterior and the homo interior was effectively summarised by Maertens (1965) (8): To the area of the homo exterior belong: a. The body. b. The activity of the body: what belongs to its organic structure (compages corporis) and to the activity of the senses (omnes sensus, quibus instructus est ad exteriora sentienda). c. The images of sensory objects that rest in memory and can be derived of it by recording (re-cordando) (…) To the area of the homo interior belong: a. The intentional storing of higher imagines (de industria memoriae commendata retinere) and to rescue them from oblivion by reflection (recordando et cogitando). b. Using this treasure of images to create imagination constructs by randomly combining (assuendo componere). c. To indicate the relation of all these things to the Truth (in hoc rerum genere quae veri-similia sunt dic-cernere a veris). All these activities happen in the homo interior; however, the used material can belong to the sensible world (quamvis in sensilibus). It is precisely for the latter that a part of the mens humana is delegated. d. The judgements on all these corporalia according to intangible and eternal laws. This is the work of the higher mind (sublimioris rationis). While already repeatedly is concluded that the soul also is changeable, these laws have to be transcendent. (pp. 194–195) This presentation of Augustine’s view on the complexity of man appears dualistic, especially when he defined the inner man as the real man. However, Maertens (1965) valued this interiority doctrine (p. 223) precisely because it has grown throughout the work of the Church Father into a really ‘integral life attitude’ (p. 223). Key to this doctrine and attitude are a ‘deep sense of powerlessness and dependence’ that humbles man (Maertens, 1995, p. 224) and the clear attention paid to the human will and the necessary renewal of it (p. 226). A person can rationally discover that there is no rest outside of God, whereas to find rest in God is connected to an underlying conversion. This 8 Translations from Maertens (1965), written originally in Dutch, are mine.
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